Yiquan #6: 8 static postures

Read previous posts: A historic background and theory of Yiquan #1; Yiquan #2, Yiquan #3, Yiquan #4, Yiquan #5.

The Yiquan set that I present in the posts about Yiquan is composed of 8 static postures. Today I continue with the fourth and fifth positions.

Fourth position

This position strongly connects sides of lower and upper part of the body with lower Dantien. Palms are pressing downwards and that causes the Dai Mai or Belt vessel to activate completely. This position is especially useful for clearing and balancing of Liver and Kidneys energy.

This will happen in time, however in the beginning you might feel the difference between a time before you’ve started standing in this posture and after. General feeling of groundedness might be felt. Every time you turn your palms downward towards the floor you are actually emitting and leading the Qi downward towards the Earth. This will in time also help you build a connection between the Earth and Heaven, or earthly and heavenly Qi. Dai Mai extraordinary vessel is situated in the middle of the body and is the only meridian that runs in our bodies horizontally. It literally bisects your body into two halves. It is the midline of the horizon and it gives the Chong Mai extraordinary meridian, which runs in the midline vertically through our bodies, its polar balance. While Chong Mai is extremely Yin, Dai Mai or Belt extraordinary meridian is extremely Yang. They both serve as reservoirs of Qi in our adulthood, until we wake them up again and start to use them for the purpose of leading the Qi.

This will only happen by practicing Qigong and especially Neigong. First you will need to calm yourself and bring the frequency of your brain down to at least alfa wavelength. This is easily done by meditation. Then you need to build up the Qi in your meridians and vessels/extraordinary meridians and in the meantime, while doing Qigong, you will be freeing yourself from all sorts of anomalies, traumas, emotional burden, child diseases which you hold as imprints in your energy field. When this is done, you will be wise enough not to judge anymore anyone and you will be ready to start leading the Qi.

So, you see, my friend, this isn’t a short process, it is a long one, but I know you will have fun in-between, since every Qigong practice is like a small journey towards the ultimate goal, which is different and similar at the same time within every one of us. I can tell you my stories and you can listen, but there are yours to be lived and then spoken.

Fifth position

This position can be done in two ways, in first variation the palms are turned towards the body and in the second variation palms are turned away from the body. This is a classic position of »standing like a tree«. This position highly opens the flow of energy in the middle part of body including diaphragm, heart and lungs. It also starts the strong current in lateral branches of Chong Mai extraordinary meridian. If palms are facing away from the body, energy flow in the arms will increase and strengthen. With this position we also start the flow of the Lungs energy, Heart and accumulated energy of the diaphragm through the body.

This position is done in two variations like I said. In the first one palms are facing inward, and in the other outward. One is the opening position and the other closing. I like to do them both.

Another thing that I need to say is something about why some masters and their schools practice only this position? This position is in deep connection with middle burner and middle Dantien area, therefore it stimulates the energy of middle Dantien. Some of you know that heart, lungs and especially diaphragm are material manifestations of the middle Dantien, respectfully. What is also important is that here you are generating, transforming and cultivating a part of your being, which can be described through the term Qi. Middle Dantien is all about the Qi! It stores Qi in Diaphragm tissues, communicates with surroundings through the electromagnetic field of heart, it brings in the Qi from air through lungs. It finally transforms Qi into Shen. When you are ready, it transmutes Qi and sends it to your upper Dantien.

Masters and teachers of martial arts therefore emphasize this position for the purpose of building the Qi and for easier process of opening the energy channels for using the Qi in techniques and applications. Here on this level you are using Qi not Jing. This is one level up from the lower Dantien where you cultivate your Jing or Essence and transform it into Qi.

Until next time.

To be continued…

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May the Qi be with you! Petar